1. Field of the Invention
The present patent document relates generally to packaging materials used to protect a product during shipping and handling and more particularly to an improved packaging material that is anti-abrasive.
2. Background of the Related Art
Packaging materials used to protect objects from damage during shipping and handling is well known in the art. However, a known problem in the prior art is protecting finished surfaces on a product that is easily scratched, yet still minimizing the cost of the packaging material. In the packaging industry, minimizing the cost of the packaging material is of great concern, second only to protecting the packaged object.
To solve the problem of protecting a finished surface that is easily scratched, one prior art solution is to apply wax to the surface of the packaging material that will rub against the finished surface of the product. However, the disadvantage of using wax is that it does not provide sufficient anti-abrasive protection to easily scratched products.
Another prior art solution to protecting finished surfaces on a product is to drape the entire product in a sheet of anti-abrasive material, such as polyethylene film or a polyethylene foam sheet, prior to packaging the product. However, this method is undesirable because of the added cost of labor to drape the product and the additional cost of the sheet of anti-abrasive material being used to drape over the product. Also, if this prior-art draping method is used with polyethylene film or polyethylene foam sheet, the method is not environmentally friendly.
Therefore, there is a perceived need in the industry for a packaging material that is inexpensive and adds greater anti-abrasive protection to easily scratched products. Additionally there is the perceived need for an improved anti-abrasive packaging material that is also easily recycled.